40th Annual Monetary Studies Conference

"Economic Transformation in a Post Independent Caribbean: What can we learn from Sir Arthur Lewis?"

(11 to 14 November 2008)

The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank is pleased to host the 40th Annual Monetary Studies Conference scheduled for 11 to14 November 2008.

This year's conference, which will be in memory of Sir Arthur Lewis, will also commemorate the 60th anniversary of the University of the West Indies. Accordingly, the theme is Economic Transformation in a Post Independent Caribbean: What can we learn from Sir Arthur Lewis? Papers will be presented under the following ten sub– themes;

Conference participants are expected from regional universities, central banks and other government entities as well as from international universities and institutions.

An open lecture, honouring the life of Dr Adlith Brown, will also form part of the conference’s agenda. This lecture is usually delivered by an esteemed Caribbean Scholar who has some knowledge of the Caribbean economy in general, and the work of Dr Adlith Brown in particular. Dr Brown was the Deputy Director of the Regional Programme of Monetary Studies from 1982 until her death in 1984. She was an outstanding Caribbean scholar, whose ideas and writings were very influential. She was instrumental in coordinating the first Public Enterprise Project in the Caribbean.

This year’s lecture will be delivered by Dr Vaughan Allen Lewis. Dr Lewis, who is the nephew of Sir Arthur Lewis, is Professor Emeritus of the University of the West Indies, having recently retired from the position of Professor of International Relations of the Caribbean, at the Institute of International Relations of the University of the West Indies, St Augustine. He also served as Director of the Institute of Social & Economic Research, UWI, Mona (now Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies), taught in the Department of Government, UWI Mona, and at the Universities of Wales (Swansea), Liverpool and Florida (Gainesville). Between these activities he served from 1982 and 1995 as Director General of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.

Dr Lewis has written widely on the areas of Third World international relations, Caribbean international relations and regional integration, on United States-Caribbean relations, and on issues relating to the functioning of small states in international relations.

He was a member of the West Indian Commission chaired by Sir Shridath Ramphal, which prepared the report entitled Time for Action (1992), and Chairman of the Technical Working Group on the Governance of CARICOM established by the CARICOM Heads of Government, that produced the report Managing Mature Regionalism (2006).